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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27073693">nightmare vs. reality</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/fandomsnthings/pseuds/fandomsnthings'>fandomsnthings</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>nightmare vs. reality [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Nightmare Time - Team StarKid, The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals - Team StarKid</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Kid Fic, Nightmare Time Spoilers, a fix-it (?) i guess?, baby fic ? kinda?, depends on how you feel about forever and always i guess, kid fics are becoming my brand and idk how to feel</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-09 01:01:45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>803</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27073693</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/fandomsnthings/pseuds/fandomsnthings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>NIGHTMARE TIME EPISODE 2- FOREVER AND ALWAYS AND TIME BASTARD SPOILERS!!!!!!!!</p>
<p>Paul wakes up from a nightmare. Emma is right there to comfort him. </p>
<p>T/W: Nightmares, mentions of death, blood.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Paul Matthews &amp; Emma Perkins, Paul Matthews/Emma Perkins</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>nightmare vs. reality [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1976620</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>39</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>nightmare vs. reality</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I just wrote this in like 30 minutes because I needed to get it out there or else I would never write it. </p>
<p>How'd everyone feel about that episode, huh!? I'm REELING AND CONFUSED! But nevertheless AMAZED!</p>
<p>This fic also (kinda?) introduces the paulkins child I created that I have a whole other fic written for but I haven't published it yet because I am afraid of JUDGEMENT and also slightly embarrassed by it but maybe I actually will release it now.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Paul sat up with a start, his chest heaving as he tried to suck in air. </p>
<p>
  <em>What the fuck?</em>
</p>
<p>He looked around in the dark, trying to take in his surroundings. He was in his bedroom, in he and Emma’s shared apartment. He looked towards the window, and he could just barely see the sun peeking out from over the surrounding houses in their neighborhood. He lifted a hand up, finding it trembling. </p>
<p>What the hell had just happened? </p>
<p>Something moved next to him, and he jumped, the hand coming up to clutch at his chest, feeling his pounding heart from within. </p>
<p>“Paul?” A groggy voice sounded, “What-What the hell are you doing awake? It’s a fucking Saturday.” </p>
<p>“E-Emma?” He said shakily, looking down at her, inching closer to the edge of the mattress slowly.</p>
<p>“Yeah? What the fuck is up with you? Go back to sleep,” she muttered, throwing one of her arms over her eyes briefly before she seemingly realized how actually stressed out he was, “What’s wrong?” </p>
<p>He swallowed hard before speaking, his voice choked, “I, um, I think I just had a wild nightmare. We-We got married, and then apparently you were a robot, but-but there were two of you, and one was the real Emma Perkins but I didn’t marry the real Emma Perkins, I married the robot, android, whatever, and then the robot you, and I, killed the real you and we threw her body off of the Nantucket Bridge and then I… I confessed to being a clone? And then we killed the homeless guy that hangs out near CCRP because he tried to blow your cover at the wedding. And I-I-are you a robot?” </p>
<p>Emma’s eyes were wide with confusion as she sat up, rubbing her tired eyes, “Paul, I literally cut myself with a kitchen knife yesterday, remember?” She lifted up her other hand, donned with a bandaid, for good measure, “See, remember?” </p>
<p>His heartbeat began to slow as the memory flooded back. He nodded, “Yeah, yeah, I remember.” </p>
<p>“Plus, we got married like two years ago almost, dude. There was no homeless dude there. I also saw him yesterday, so he’s not dead,” she said with a yawn, “And we produced a whole ass baby-now-toddler that’s sleeping in her nursery in the other room. I don’t think android me and clone you could’ve done that.” </p>
<p>Right. Eloise. Their daughter. Their beautiful, goofy, completely <em>human</em> daughter. She had fallen and scraped her knee the other day, and she cried, and she bled, and it had broken his heart as he patched her up and tried to comfort her. She had felt something real and human. He had felt something real and human. Yeah. Yeah, he remembered.</p>
<p>“Right,” he said, taking a deep breath. Why the fuck had that dream been so fucking real?</p>
<p>“Paul, you’re okay,” she said softly, her face showing slight concern. A hand came up to rub his lower back comfortingly. He had vivid nightmares more often than she would think would be normal, but he always ended up brushing them off. It was starting to worry her, “We’re here, and we’re okay. We’re human.” </p>
<p>He leaned into her, and she supported his weight as he sagged against her. He buried his face into her hair and wrapped his arms around her, sighing out, “Emma.” </p>
<p>“Yeah, it’s me,” she assured, “You’re okay.” </p>
<p>“Eloise?” </p>
<p>“She’s okay too. She’s sleeping. You can go see her if you want, but she might wake up, and then she’ll be cranky all day,” Emma murmured into his bare shoulder, “You’ll be dealing with her if that’s the case.” </p>
<p>“No, it’s okay. She’s okay.” </p>
<p>“Yeah, she’s okay.” </p>
<p>“You’re not an android?” </p>
<p>“I’m not an android.” </p>
<p>“I’m not a clone?” </p>
<p>“You’re not a clone. At least, I don’t think you are.” </p>
<p>“Emma.” </p>
<p>“Right. No, you’re not a clone, Paul. I’ve met your parents, and your mother did not hesitate to tell me everything about your day of birth once we told them we were having Eloise.” </p>
<p>“Right.” </p>
<p>“Right.” </p>
<p>“I love you, Emma Matthews-Perkins,” he mumbled into her hair, a small smile tugging at his lips, “In the nightmare, I took your last name and you took mine. Isn’t that fucking weird?” </p>
<p>She laughed softly, “Yeah, that’s pretty fucking weird. I love you too, Paul Matthews-Perkins.” </p>
<p>He was really grateful for her. She always knew just what to say. </p>
<p>With that, they shared a soft kiss, laid back down under the covers, and held each other until they both drifted back into a peaceful sleep, which was ended by their daughter crawling in between them an hour later and placing big, slobbery kisses onto both of their cheeks. </p>
<p>And everything was good, and normal, and happy, with no androids or clones or murder or anything else in their midst. </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Just to note: I actually have nothing against spouses taking each other's last names, I've just always felt like Paul and Emma would hyphenate, </p>
<p>Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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